SUGAR LAND, Texas – A Sugar Land bride died weeks before her wedding day from a brain aneurysm. Now the family finds comfort in the fact that their tragedy has given life to many other people.
The dress was almost ready, even the cake topper was specially made to include her two dogs by her feet. However, the bride, Taryn Budd, won't walk down the aisle.
“They said they were prepared to do everything they could to save her, but looking at the scans, and they showed me the scans, she had suffered,” said Stacie Budd, Taryn’s mother. They now know that in November, while taking a bath, Taryn experienced a brain aneurysm and drowned.
When you see photos of Taryn, it’s hard to imagine the tragic end. Her big smile looks like what a contagious laugh feels like. Her fiancé, Nicolas Milazzo, said she was never shy to laugh, be friendly or show empathy. The type of traits you might imagine in an animal lover, which she was.
“Taryn would probably be upset if I didn't mention how much of a lovely mother she was to her two little puppies,” Milazzo said. “I thought I was going to live my whole life with her.”
It's unimaginable to think someone so full of life would face an early death, but her family finds comfort in a decision she made long ago in case she ever did. She wanted to be an organ donor. The silver lining is, she donated many organs to many people.
“A 55-year-old father of two received her heart, a 30-year-old female received both her lungs and her liver, and a 30-year-old female, I believe, received her kidney,” Budd said. “We are grateful that there are other people that she's living through and I’m hopeful that one day I’ll be able to meet them.”
“I know that she would be absolutely thrilled to know that she has allowed other people to continue living their lives and especially people that have children. Taryn loved children,” Milazzo said.
Taryn's life was cut short before her important day but she gave other people the rest of theirs. The transplant operations happened on Thanksgiving morning.
Since so many people were already on their way to town for Taryn's wedding, the memorial service took place on the day she was supposed to get married.
Life Gift, the nonprofit organ procurement organization, said Texas is the fastest growing organ donor registry, with more than ten million currently enrolled.
However, they said there is still a struggle to enroll minorities. The Hispanic community is not enrolling as consistently as others and as the fastest growing minority group there are concerns the upward trend of donors could reverse.
If you're interested in registering to be a donor, so your family is not left with this decision during a tragedy, click here.